About WBC Short Mat

Playing 'Short Mat Bowls' is an enjoyable way in which to spend a couple of winter evenings and enjoy good company. There is a chance to take part in internal Club competitions and the occasional external friendly match. Some club members play for the County team and if you are interested more players are always welcome.

Monday night is our regular roll up night, starting at 6,30pm, except when we have away matches that fall on this day. Tuesday evening is our home match night, starting at 7.00pm. Casual clothing is the order of the day for roll up evenings. For matches the club shirt is required with grey trousers/skirt.

Winslow Bowls club plays in the VSMBFL (Vale Short Mat Bowls League) commencing in mid-September and ending mid-April. For the start of the 2025/26 season.

  • The format is 4 triples games in an evening with each triple game comprising of 10 ends.  2 points are awarded to the winner of each game, 1 point to each team for a draw.
  • On match nights refreshments are served after the first two triples have been played.

Winslow also play in a cup competition, 'John Robinson Memorial Cup'. 

  • Teams that enter this competition are divided into two groups. For the 2025/6 seson the Groups are 

    • Group 1: Marsh Gibbon, Wendover Dark Green, Chinnor and Wendover Light Green
    • Group 2: Stewkley, Bierton, Beacon and Winslow

  • The winners of each group shall be those with the greatest number of shots. Should shots be equal the team with the highest shot difference will qualify. The final shall be played in the same format as the qualifying games. The winner shall be the team with the highest total shots. Should shots be equal an extra end of triples shall be played as a decider.

  • The format for this is singles 4 woods (2 games), Pairs 3 Woods (2 games) and Triples (2 games).Twelve names are drawn out on the night in the order that the games are played.
  • Refreshments are served after the Pairs have completed their games.

If you are worried about travelling to away venues, we can arrange transport and usually double up so that the minimum number of cars is needed. Why not come along and have a go. Guidance as to the rules and coaching will be given.

Follow the links to find current and previous year's League and Friendly match results,  the VSMBFL pages and Short Mat News items.

A Quick Guide to Short Mat Bowls

Short mat bowls is based on the outdoor sport of lawn bowls so many of the rules are adaptations of the rules of the outdoor game with the basic aim being to deliver as many woods (bowls) as possible nearer to the smaller target bowl (the jack) than any of the opposition’s woods.

The notes below are intended to give an introductory outline of the game. Full rules can be found in the ESMBA Laws & Rules booklet but, like any other sport, you can only really learn by going along to your local club and giving it a go.

Basics of Play

A coin toss will normally determine who bowls first in the first end and then each subsequent end is started by the winner of the previous end. The team who bowls first in an end also decides where on the centre line at the head end the jack is placed (from a ‘short’ jack at the front of the line to a ‘long’ jack furthest from the bowlers).

When delivering a bowl a player must have one foot entirely within, or above, the bounds of the delivery foot mat and the other foot within the side delivery lines. If this is not done then a foot fault occurs and the bowl is removed from the playing area. Similarly, any bowl which touches the centre block, fails to cross the far dead line or crosses the ditch line without first touching the jack is dead and is removed from the playing area. Any bowl leaving the side of the mat is dead.

If the jack is driven off the mat the end is declared dead and is replayed (or, depending on competition rules, penalty shots may be awarded to the opponent and the end counted). 

If a wood is played which touches the jack before coming to rest it is declared a ‘toucher’ and is marked with chalk.

A toucher or the jack remains in play when it crosses the ditch line (non toucher woods doing so are removed). If a toucher or the jack is completely over the ditch line then it can only be moved by another toucher or the jack. A toucher or the jack lying across the ditch line is still ‘live’ and can be moved by any wood. A toucher or jack which has completely crossed the ditch line has its position marked by chalk marks on the mat so that it can be returned to its position if it is illegally moved by a non toucher wood.

At the conclusion of an end each of a team’s woods which are nearer to the jack than any of the opponents’ woods counts as a ‘shot’. Specified measuring devices may be utilised in determining shots. Scores for each end are normally recorded on a scorecard (or one held by each team) and the cumulative scores are usually shown on a scoreboard visible to all players and spectators. The total number of shots accumulated at the end of the game determines the winner.